Test Drive | Page 61

Chapter  2:  Concept  note   common  property,  (3)  state  or  public  property  and  (4)  no  property  (res  nullius).  In  the  Yemen  study,  we  see   that  several  property  regimes  apply  at  the  same  moment,  which  may  be  a  cause  for  conflicts.   Property   rights   are   not   absolute;   they   often   include   restrictions   on   the   use   of   property   by   owners.   These   restrictions   become   more   extensive   in   modernized   and   societies   or   modern   water   legislation.   It   has   been   argued   that   bottom-­‐up   organised   common   property   arrangements   have   already   existed   for   drainage   and   irrigation,  oftentimes  for  centuries.  The  same  is  also  true  for  Yemen.     To   restrict   property   rights,   the   public   domain   requires   centralized   or   decentralized   powers   to   assign   responsibilities   and   to   organise   policy   processes.   In   the   Yemen   study,   we   have   identified   a   mix   of   allocation   mechanisms  for  authority  and  responsibilities,  which  may  also  be  a  cause  for  conflicts.     Financing  water  management   Empowerment   with   financial   means   is   also   part   of   a   sustainable   water   governance   system.   Depending   on   shared  values  and  principles  the  financing  water  management  is  based  upon,  conflicts  may  be  more  expected   or  more  easily  solved.  We  can  think  of  cost  recovery  through  a  solidarity  principle,  which  means  that  the  costs   of  water  policy  are  recovered  from  the  national  budget  or  budgets  of  decentralized  authorities.  We  can  also   think   of   cost   recovery   through   a   profit   principle,   which   means   that   those   who   have   an   interest   in   water   services  and  the  profits  that  arise  therefrom,  also  pay  for  it.       Participative  capacity   Participation   is   important   to   enable   all   water   uses   to   have   an   equal   opportunity   to   become   expressed   and   recognized.  Decentralization  and  strong  local  communities  are  seen  as  a  favorable  condition  for  participation.         Regulations  and  agreements   Regulations  and  agreements  are  the  link  between  content  and  implementation  and  serve  as  a  translation  of   service  level  agreements  in  rules,  regulations,  agreements  and  procedures.  The  appropriateness  of  rules  and   agreements   depends   strongly   on   the   context   of   a   certain   case,   as   well   as   on   cultural,   historical,   political,   institutional   and   economic   circumstances   (developing/developed   countries,   rural/urban   areas,   religion,   political/philosophical  traditions),  the  legal  traditions  (common/civil  law/traditional/indigenous  law  systems),   the   governmental   organisation   (centralized/decentralized/river   basin   management   approach),   the   parties   involved,   the   leading   values   and   principles,     the   relevant   and   local   water   system   characteristics,   the   actual   water  problem  that  has  to  be  solved  and  last  but  not  least,  the  intention  of  the  parties.  The  main  assessment   criterion  of  regulations  and  agreements  is  legitimacy.       Engineering  and  Monitoring   The  design  and  management  of  the  existing  infrastructure  may  not  be  suitable  to  fulfil  the  societal  functions.   For   instance,   the   capacity   of   irrigation   canals   may   be   insufficient,   as   is   the   case   in   Ye